how long do BMW's last??

Question

lets say i buy a 2001 or 2002 BMW 325i.

how long will that last me? would it still be a very reliable car with plenty of mileage left if i get it for around 80-90K miles on it?

Answer 1

Use should be able to get 300k easy.

Answer 2

BMW's are excellent cars and a blast to drive. The 3 series is the simplest and the most reliable. Here are the keys to make sure you're getting a good car.

1. Make sure the car hasn't been in an accident. There are a lot of electronics on the car and they are finicky - an accident makes things worse and sometimes not fixable.

2. Make sure the owner maintained the car religiously! Also, make sure he didn't cut corners and use conventional oil. The maintenance light goes on around 12-13K miles, so conventional oil will be a thinned out mess at this mileage.

3. Make sure there aren't too many owners. If so, why? Why would someone keep a car for a short period of time (less than 2 years). They can't afford it? They didn't like the car? How about this - something keeps going wrong and they're tired of paying for repairs. This is probably the answer.

4. Take it to a BMW mechanic and pay him to go over the car to make sure its a good car. Better to pay a couple hundred now vs thousands later.

5. Check the Car Fax history to see if there is anything funny. This may save you trouble in the future.

You should be able to get a clean 140,000 miles out of the car. You may be able to get over 200,000, but you'll put some money into it. Also, as you near 100,000 miles, your resale value will fall hard, so make sure you like the car and you're going to keep it a while. This may be the reason why the owner is selling - to get something out of the car while it still has value).

Things to watch out for: Trip computer problems, check engine problems, radiator, window regulators, front suspension, transmission, brakes (pads and rotors will cost you $400 + (per axle) unless you have a good source or you do them yourself), tires, catalytic converter (expensive - don't buy the cheap generic one). The engine is rock solid. Body, paint and interior is very solid - great quality materials. Exhaust should be troublefree (except cat). Basic electrical system is good (battery, starter, alternator).

Maybe take a look at a 50-60K mile car, but pay a little more???

Good luck.

Greg

Answer 3

I had a 1990, 525i and it lasted 17 years. They last forever if you take good care of them. I've seen many used ones for sale with around 200,000 miles on them.... that's impressive. I'm buying one right now that is a 2002, 530i with 83,000 miles on it and I'm not worried. One thing I would want to know if I were you though, is if the radiator is in good shape. They seem to go around 80,000 miles and cost about $600 to replace - so take the car you choose to see your family mechanic (make sure they know BMW) and get it throughly inspected. Also- while your borrowing the car - drive it around and inspect it yourself. I did this this week. This is a great chance to find all sorts of little problems that you can use to negotiate a lower price. This also will give you an opportunity to drive it a night too - and see if everything works properly like the lights etc. Because I did this - I got the dealer to take off $1,500 - since they didn't want to do the repairs they asked me how much I thought they would cost and deducted it from the price... good tactic.

Answer 4

With proper maintenance and repairs, a very long time. My parents have a 1991 3 series with well over 200k miles and it runs great. My 2001 3 series with 145k miles runs and drives like new. Very well made cars, and a blast to drive.

On the 2001 3 series the only problem areas are front suspension components, window regulators and, rarely, auto transmission. The engines are rock solid.

Answer 5

That depends on how well you take care of it. 325i uses M50 engine and would run about 150K. After that, some engines develop head gasket problem. If you are willing to spend $ to replace the head gasket and rebuild the head, it will go for another 150K.

Manual transmission would last life of the car as long as you replace the clutch for every 120K. Auto transmissions would last up to 150K. These so called "Life time transmission fluid" is actually transmission fluid that would last 70K. So if you don't flush it, you would end up replacing the transmission after going over 100K.

At 90K, I would also replace the radiator. These Behr radiators are made out of plastic. At 90K, the radiator neck would snap any day now. Going over 100K, you would need to replace the control arms, thrust arms, and tie rods. Also need new shocks, shock mounts. You don't need to replace them, but you should. Otherwise, your best handling car would handle like crap. You you don't know how to replace these things on your own, you are looking at spending about $3000.

The car will last if you take care of it. And to take care of it, it will cost you some money or labor. Parts are cheap, but labor is not.

Answer 6

As the first answer states, it will depend on how the vehicle has been taken car of by its previous owners. If it has been abused and neglected it will turn into a money burning nightmare as one system after another fails.

A well maintained and cared for BMW will last for decades.

Answer 7

through my Experience if its well mentained through factory and has a full service history then I say it'll last much longer then cars in it's class like the Mercedes C class or the Audi A4, I am expecting about 200,000 + miles with minor break downs but buthing todo with the Engine and after all itsa BMW 3 series which in UK as outsold the everlasting Ford Mondeo time and time over.

Answer 8

a straight 6 bmw engine say a 325 is capable of doing over 250 000 miles easily

Answer 9

If not used so much can last up to 20 years but in every day us may last 4-5 years

Answer 10

You better off buying a mercedes c-class of the same era - much better put together, not so common and a bit more executive than BMW.

Answer 11

I have a 85 with 305, 000 miles on it and a 83 with 260K on it,,

run great